My husband's mind

So, people always post cute and silly little things their kids say...well, here is one from Chris. This is an email he sent me from work....

I just had a hangnail that was bugging me, so I grabbed my fingernail clippers and took care of it. Fascinating I know. Then as I was putting it away, my mind wandered to flight regulations and improvised weapons, and then it jumped to Samson killing 1,000 people with the jawbone of an ass (yes it literally jumped from killing people with fingernail clippers to killing people with the jawbone of an ass).

Which of course derailed for a minute when I had to ask myself again, “how the Hell (or maybe Heaven in this case) could the jawbone of an ass last long enough to kill 1,000 warriors that were armed and presumably armored?”, and, “Did he just carry one around knowing that it wouldn’t be viewed as a weapon?”.

So anyhow, back on topic, I know of 1,000 people that have been killed with the jawbone of an ass, but I know of zero people that have been killed with fingernail clippers (though I have to assume that there has been at least one). So if I went to board a plane with the jawbone of an ass in my bag, (which as we now know has more deaths attributed to it) would they confiscate it as an improvised weapon?

What if you were an ass farmer (ass rancher? Whatever it is called, I don’t want to have it as my title)? Would it make you less likely to have the jawbone confiscated?

Just thought I would share my thoughts and musings with you.

First Snow and Halloween

We had our first snow the other day, and the girls were very excited to go play in it. How cute are they?!



Not long after that, Katie spent a few days sick...fever, throwing up...overall not feeling well. She had slept all morning on my lap, so during her regular naptime, I didn't figure she would sleep, so I put her in front of a movie...where she fell asleep, poor thing. but I got a cute sleeping baby picture out of it :)Tonight was Halloween. The girls had SOOOO much fun. We are used to having a Church party sometime before, then not doing much on Halloween itself..well, we didn't do anything big, but we did trick-or-treat around our neighborhood. This is the first time we've lived in a neighborhood where we could do that. It was great fun, and we all enjoyed the brief socializing we got to do with our neighbors. Aimee wanted to be a fairy, Betty a cheerleader. My sister-in-law, who is the most amazing shopper, went out and hunted down costumes for them...even came back with that adorable chicken outfit for Katie. I was so grateful for her help (especially because with Katie sick, I had been less then motivated to get stuff together).

Katie is really hard to get a picture of right now...you turn the camera her way, and she charges for it to see herself on the screen.
The first house...Katie's first time trick-or-treating...She really was confused about the whole thing for a while. Before long she figured out that people would come to the door and put stuff in her bag. She'd push though her sisters to help knock on the door...then she was very "businesslike" about the whole thing. By the time we were done she was trying to say "Trick-or-treat" (which sounded a bit like "Eeee-eee") and "bye-bye" when we were done.

At the end, I had them knock at our door so I could get a good picture. Overall, it was a fun night, and they pulled in a good haul...I made them put all the candy in one bowl that we will all share. (notice the bags? I think next year I may make some halloween themed ones just for trick-or-treating...they were perfect for it!)

Pumpkin patch festival

So, I've been bad with pictures mostly because my camera had been broken. Then my dad got me a new one for my birthday! Yay Dad! Then, I got sick, so I haven't taken many pictures...but now I'll do better...

So last night, we went with Chris' sisters and their family to a pumpkin patch. We had a great time and were so glad they called us to join them!
They have evenings were there are booths and hay rides and they play Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin in a big field. We had dinner while we watched.

Then we went on a hay ride. Not a lot of great pictures because it was pretty dark by then.
At the end, the girls got their faces painted. Betty wanted a black cat...Aimee wanted to be pink lol.

It was a really fun night. We didn't get pumpkins last night because there were so many other things to do.

Pictures of the bags

So here are the pictures of my new grocery bags. I must say, I've discovered that having pretty grocery bags is truly one of life's simple pleasures. I love little things like that that make me smile...and it's so much better having made them myself! I've used them 3 times now (yeah, I forgot things that many times...good thing we have stores that are close...) They guy at wal-mart said he liked them cause they fit really well in the loading area, unlike the ones that you can buy at wal-mart. (he just slid the handles right where the holders were for the plastic ones). The lady at the store tonight asked if I'd made them and said they'd turned out really nice. I also like how sturdy they feel when they are loaded with groceries. And, I keep them in a little stack (gotta find a good place to keep it) and then I can slide my ongoing shopping list inside the pocket of one...that way I'm less likely to forget them when I go to the store and I have a place to keep a list of things we need. Oh, I'm so going to have to make more of these, so I can get a whole week's worth of groceries in them. And I was thinking they'd make great bags for the girls for Sacrament meeting...maybe with slightly longer handles....hmmmm...now where did that stash of fabric go??? :)

Yay me!

So, for a while now I've been wanting some good reusable grocery bags...and I've secretly been coveting really pretty ones(like these maybe or These...). But so many are so expensive, and I couldn't see spending a ton on grocery bags. So, I looked up a pattern and found this one. I've made 3 now. Mine are a little...lumpier, then the one here, but they are so pretty, and I'm so proud of myself for how they turned out. Especially since I don't sew very much. Plus, I spent only $9, and have lining for 3 more(and fabric for more if I could find it...), so I think I did pretty good. And I think mine are prettier then the other ones. Of course now Chris has put in a request for some that are a little less..."girlie". we're going to take them out shopping and see how we like them today, then maybe I'll throw some more together...

I'd post a picture, but my camera is broken, so I'll see if I can get Grady to take one for me later.

Are you ready for General Conference?

So, I've started thinking about what we are going to do for Conference this year...this will be our first one with just our little family...no planned trips, or friends, or family staying with us. I really am wanting to form some great traditions surrounding this so it can be a weekend to look forward to twice a year...so here is my game plan. Feel free to share any other ideas anyone may have.

First, we don't get TV signal (I know, dad that you gave us the money to get the signal box thingie...just haven't done it yet, and I'm actually kinda liking not having TV on all the time). So the computer will be on, but ONLY to watch conference...no games, or Facebook, or surfing. All weekend.

I will be printing out Conference packets (this is April's, but it looks like fun, and I'll watch for an October one on Sugardoodle.net over the next few days....there may be one on there that I'm missing) These worked great for at least one session in April.

Another part of my plan has to do with food. Smell is a big trigger for memory or whatever, so I'm planning a really fun menu for the weekend. Bacon and Egg Pie, Roast and potatoes, french onion soup, pumpkin pie, cookies, muffins...I'll make a big batch of bread dough to turn into cinnamon rolls, scones, and dinner rolls....basically we're going to try to focus on filling the house with yummy smells all weekend...and keep the sugar content down as much as possible...plus the girls can help with the bread dough during one session of conference! Keeping hands busy will hopefully help keep mouths quiet.

Along with keeping hands busy...Chris and I will play quiet games with the girls when we are not doing conference packets...pulling out Katie's toys, coloring with them, checkers, etc. I'm going to order some Chinese jump ropes for cat's cradle and get some fuzzy posters for them to color.

I'm really excited for this next weekend and hope it will be great. Aimee told me today that she doesn't like Conference...I really hope I can change her mind about it.

Catching up

So I've been kinda lazy this summer, and haven't blogged much...honestly, not much has happened. Everytime we wanted to camp, it rained....when we planned to hike, we got sick. We actually spent a good deal of our summer sick. Between getting hit with swine flu and tummy bugs...yeah, didn't think most people wanted to read about those....So, I just haven't written much because "we sat at home today" doesn't make for the most thrilling of blogs.

Now, that should all change. School has started, so I may be getting some quiet time during the day.

School started for Aimee on Monday. Her first grade teacher seems really nice. Yesterday, when we asked how her day was, her response was "long." lol. I talked to her teacher today (taking in some supplies) and she said they are doing things like lots of recesses and snacks the first week or so to help the kids adjust to full days. I think Aimee will do really well once she adjusts to it all.

Betty had an orientation on Monday, then they are doing individual testing this week for kindergartners. We'll go in tomorrow afternoon. Then she actually starts class on Monday. She will be with the same teacher we had with Aimee last year. We really liked her, and I think she will be good for Betty too. She is so excited. She even has her best friend from church in her class.

I know I'm a looser and have no pictures of the first day of school..the batteries in my camera are dead and I didn't think of it until Monday morning. I'll try to get some start of school pictures taken soon.

Katie is doing normal Katie stuff....she likes to scream as her sole means of communication, which makes for a noisy house. I'm hoping that phase passes soon. Last night, she slept all the way though the night for the first time...I could live with that becoming a habit :) Of course, I kept coming out of sleep around the time she normal wakes up, and then slept lightly the rest of the night waiting for her to cry. She is a climber, so we have to keep the kitchen chairs on their side to keep her from sitting on the table.

Messy!

This is what you get when you give a baby chili...

Crazy Hair, and other fun stuff.

This is what happens when ponytails come out right before bed.....She is just waking up, and a little frustrated that I ran to get the camera instead of picking her up.

I had to tell this great Aimee story. The other day we went to this fountain at the mall. It shoots water out of bunches of jets all over the sidewalk, and kids can go and play in it. Betty, walked around and kind of got close to the water, but wouldn't actually get in it. Katie ran right in to where the other kids were playing, stood right over a water jet (it was during a lull in the water shooting) and got hit in the face with it...she screamed and I couldn't grab her right away and she got hit with it again (didn't hurt her, just freaked her out)...so she wouldn't' get anywhere near the water the rest of the time...and if the wind blew water to where we stood, she would freak out again. Aimee, however, loved every minute we were there. She ran and played and got soaking wet. We were getting ready to go and the loudspeaker said they were going to shoot the water high...they will do it to music and the water gets pretty intense. So all the kids pulled out of it, including Aimee, who was just told we needed to get ready to go. Next came the testament to how well behaved this child can actually be. The music started and water gushed out of the middle of the fountain, and ALL the kids squealed and ran back in...Aimee started in and stopped and looked at me with this "OH, PLEASE mom!!!" Look on her face....It was so sweet, and the fact that she didn't just go in. All I could do was shoo her back out there and say "go!" lol. She is such a wonderful kid!

Kazoos are fun

What an adventure!

Have you ever had one of those days that is so packed with pure bodacity that there are simply not enough words to convey it to others? We were lucky enough to have one of those days yesterday.

We had started out Friday night, toward the San Rafael Swell area. We'd intended to camp, then hike and explore on Saturday. All of the campsites were full by the time we got there, so we ended up in a stuffy, overpriced motel. Saturday started early. We headed out to Black dragon Canyon to see some petroglyphs. There were some cool caves created by the fallen rocks (my little family pictured in one of our favorites above.) We drove most of the way to the petroglyphs then explored the canyon for a while. It was spectacular, with walls towering hundreds of feet up.
Here is a picture of some petroglyphs. I don't know much about them, but they were really cool to see....Then it was off to Goblin Valley...

They have actually used this place to film sci-fi movies. It really does feel like you've stepped off the planet Earth. They call those mounds "goblins". The panoramic at the start of the blog is from here, so you can get an idea of how vast this place was. We explored here for several hours and had a blast doing it.

Katie rode in the pack most of the day, so she was thrilled everytime we were able to let her down to explore. Here she is in a wash at Goblin Valley.

Driving in to Goblin Valley State Park we'd noticed a sign for Little Wild Horse Canyon. Chris had seen pictures of that hike and said it had looked cool, so we headed there to check it out.
This hike wound though a massively deep canyon, that is filled with water part of the year. One of the singularly most awe-inspiring places I have ever visited, and even these amazing pictures (thank you Grady!) don't begin to express its amazingness.

In this picture Betty is scolding Chris because she is afraid he will fall and die. lol
Can you see Aimee in this picture....really gives you a sense of scale, hu?



As Katie wasn't able to walk and explore much, she would explore in any way she could. She would reach out to touch the rock as much as possible, and luckily for her it was possible a lot, as the walls were often no wider then shoulder width. It was very interesting to look at the walls and see what kind of power water has over rock like that. Katie loved these holes that we'd come across and could be happy sticking her hands in them all day.

This tree interested me as we came in, but after we came out of the dried riverbed, and saw the force the water had though the canyon, this tree really caught my attention. This tree has obviously seen a hard life, between being in desert dryness part of the year and in a torrent of water another part of the year. The cracks in the bark are 3 inched deep, and it is the most gnarled looking thing I've ever seen....but then it is covered in all these amazing, new, green leaves. Kindof gives me a sense of hope looking at the thing.

We then drove home though the San Rafael Swell...The vista's were incredible. So much so, that by the time we were coming out of it, Chris said that he'd been so overwhelmed by coolness that day, that his brain could no longer process it all. And Betty said "It's too pretty to see!" I feel like it was so much coolness that it must have taken DAYS to experience it all...when we were really only gone for a little over 24 hours.

I think I've learned to love Utah!

Most pictures here were taken by my talented brother, Grady. You can see more on his flickr account. Photos by my amazing husband on his talented cell phone can be seen here.

Too cute!

So, Katie is finally walking and it is TOO CUTE!!! I had to bribe her to get her to come to me, but here it is for you all to see.




In other news...It appears we are now owners of a Green (or maybe teal) 94 Suburban. Wow that thing is big! But it sure is nice to be able to get all the groceries in and have a seat to go places with my brother and have us all in one car. We're talking about doing a camping trip to break it in soon.

Aimee finished Kindergarten top of her class. We're having a b-day party for Katie tonight, and I'll get pictures posted in the next day or two. My parents are visiting and we are having tons of fun. I'll get those pictures posted soon too.

Digital scrapbooking...smaller...

I decided to make one of these digital scrapbooked things for Katie's b-day party invites. They are made to be printed on 4x6 photo paper. It turned out so cute and was so fun, I decided to make Aimee's graduation ones, then I could send them to grandma's too...well, then I had to do one for Betty, and because mother's day was coming, I also bought little photo books for grandma's to put them in....then I'd have to make more for them as special things happened. If only I'd remembered to buy my own book...I think I'm really going to like this mini-scrapbooking. It's going to make it easier to share these memories with our family....plus they are a nice size to post on my blog too :)



And here is the one I made today...(look for it in the mail in the next week or so Grandma H. and C.) We cut Katie's hair yesterday...she was awfully wiggly, but it's out of her eyes. When it all get's longer, we will do something more...professional.

Catching up

Ok, so I was thinking how much I needed to do some blogging and looking though pictures I realized I really have ALOT to blog about....so, in no particular order of time or importance...here is what has been happening in our lives.

Chris has been wanting to get some guns for both work and hunting, so we finally got them. We visited some friends to help us learn about them and how to handle them.

This was only my second time handling a gun...I look so pro! lol. I even managed to hit something.

Aimee and Betty each got to try out our friend's .22. (with sufficient help from dad).
And for Grandparents or friends who would wonder why we'd let such little kids shoot a real gun, here is a quote from a great site called Cornered Cat that sums it up.

the more times a child has been to the range, the better: each trip defuses a little bit more of that dangerous childish curiosity, and gives the parents one more chance to talk to the kid about safety around firearms.

Here is Katie, waiting for her turn with the rifle...we told her she would have to wait a bit before she got a turn.


Next up...Aimee lost her tooth!!!! It was so exciting. Chris finally ended up pulling it for her because we could tell it was ready, but she just wasn't getting it out. He said once he got his fingers on it, it came out with no resistance. The tooth fairy brought her a whole dollar! Now, her second one is loose...we'll see how long it takes that one to come out.

EASTER! I thought I had more pictures then this...but oh, well....We went to an egg hunt at the park...it was rather chilly. We stood waiting for about half hour and then the horn blew and the eggs were gone in about 1 minute. It was a blast. Then we did an egg hunt at Aunt Beth's house that was lots of fun, and we had a quiet Easter dinner at home with just us. It was very nice.

And finally (though I think this is the oldest....) We had a get together with some friends...and well..sorry Cari, I just HAD to post this picture :p. Some friends were visiting from Oregon, other's we'd never met in person before. It was a great night, with good food and great company.

Trouble with a capital K

I'm not sure these pictures even need captions....

The pan cupboard...

Isn't she a daredevil?
Yeah, that's the dryer...
I have a picture of each of her sisters sitting in a drawer like this....she just needs to take things to the next level.

Time for Nursery yet?

So, generally the mantra during Sunday School time is "can't wait for Nursery" because it means you get to send you baby to their own class and you can start enjoying adult company again. 18 months of age can't come soon enough with that incentive in front of you. I imagine it's a great time for the kiddo, too...I mean, instead of having just the hall to roam in, they get a room full of toys and other kids to throw said toys at. Well, Katie is now 10 months old, and as that 18 month mark get's closer....well, she has found the loophole in the system. When both parents get called to serve in Nursery, a 10 month old gets to go too! What a lucky kid is she??

Family Pictures

Uncle Grady came and took some pictures for us recently. Here is the link to them if anyone is interested. I think he did a great job! Thanks Grady! We can hardly wait for you to move here so we can play with you all the time :)

Clicky Clicky!

Katie's teeth

Oh, first...Uncle Grady has been here this week and he's been taking some great pictures of my kiddos! If you're not already, you should keep an eye on his work at Blipfoto. Not just to see my cute kids, but because he is taking some great pictures.

Anyway, so Katie is getting new teeth...3, from the looks of it. She already has her front bottom two. I would expect her front top two to be next...but nope, she's an oddball. She is getting her second top two, and one little fang behind those! Weird little kid...

Betty is 5!!!!

What a week it's been! Betty turned 5 on the 22, but we didn't do a party until yesterday, so I was waiting to post it all at once.
Do you see that little monkey? We had a lady from Church stopping by and I told her that we were doing dinner for Betty...It was Sunday when I told her, and I'm sure she didn't stop by the store or anything...but she came up with a gift for her. A little basket with nail polish and this little monkey, who she adores! Our upstairs neighbor also came up with a last minute gift for her..bath soaps and a little handbag...PERFECT! What wonderful neighbors we have!As usual, we started out with a Birthday Breakfast...Betty chose yogurt, but we decided they needed toast and eggs too. Oh, and hot chocolate. Her pick for dinner was hamburgers and potato chips (because "everybody likes that"...what a little hostess!) Her cake had to be "raspberry"...so I did chocolate cake with raspberry jam filling and buttercream frosting with raspberry jam on top. It was really good! She is so creative.

For her party...well, we haven't met a ton of kids her age yet. We invited the ones we had met, and cousins. Unfortunately, our cousins got sick and we missed them. One little girl's mom droped her off and asked if we had enough kids. I told her it would be a small party, but we'd still have fun. She asked if I wanted her to ask another little girl on our road, which she did...and her mom came up with a last minute gift too! (I think I need to stock up on little kid gifts...just in case...) The kids decided to play hide & seek. We did some other games...but the kids didn't know each other, so they were all a little shy. If I'd thought about it better, I would have prepared some more organized "getting to know you" type games.

For the party we did cupcakes and icecream sundays. The kids got to pick what they wanted.
So, that was Betty's birthday. It was great, we met some nice new people, and had a lot of fun! I sure love this kid and enjoyed celebrating her this week.